


Poison & Wine

by queenieface



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Ninjas - Freeform, Romance, Smut, Women Being Awesome, also i don't hate Sakura, and then some make up sex, bad timing, confused feelings, idk what canon's going to do, lots of Lee love, possible ooc, post-Fourth Great Ninja War, probably some major angst, so probably no Sakura-bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-15 11:44:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2227764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenieface/pseuds/queenieface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The problem with arranged marriages was, in his modest opinion, everything. It was too bad for him that Gaara didn't agree. - In which Gaara learns to dance, Temari plays part-time paparazzi, and Kankuro has poor timing, among other things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all characters - excluding a select few - in this dalliance, especially the one suddenly facing marriage. All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, and any and all others with claim to it. The only things I own are the plot bunny, a few bit-player OC's, and Mai and Kasumi! Cheers!

After living in Suna his entire life, and being a Sand shinobi for the vast majority of that life, he imagined that he should have been used to the Sand by now. He always thought of it like that, with a capital 'S', because in Suna the Sand was as close to being a living, breathing entity as anything else was, and mostly, he was used to it. When it laid harmless, stretched across miles and miles of sun-drenched dunes, or when it whirled violently through the streets in a massive sandstorm, and even when it mercilessly crushed and buried enemies in Gaara's control, he was largely at peace with it's ever-present-presentness.

He felt the Sand shifting beneath his uniform as he ran - rubbing up against a rather sensitive part of his anatomy - and he frowned fiercely. No matter what other struggles or hardships life in the desert threw at him, he would never quite be over the fact that the Sand got into everything, no matter how tightly wrapped or bound. He supposed that offered some sort of metaphor for perserverance and the ability to continue onward, and were he in another mood he might be inclined to entertain the thought farther, but as it stood he was tired and hungry and far too close to home to worry about metaphors and what they might stand for.

He ran faster, anxious for the first shower after four long Sand-filled days of running. He'd managed a quick splash-bath in a desert pool just over two days beforehand, but nothing was a substitute for an actual shower. As he grew closer to the West gate of Suna, he was halfway through daydreaming about how wonderful that shower would be when he remembered the report Gaara would be waiting for as soon as he returned. He frowned once more, kissing his shower-filled respite goodbye. He knew he was in for a lengthy visit with his Kazekage.

 _Man, the brat's gonna hate this. Or love it, depending on his mood_. His frown grew all the more severe as he thought of the information he would be bringing back to the village. The mission he had been assigned to was a fairly standard kill and run operation. One month for information gathering and observation. One month to infiltrate. Another month to plan and execute. And a final month for cleaning up loose ends and returning home. Fairly simple, and a tried and true method that all the villages had been employing for as long as anyone could remember.

He had been sent to a border town between the Land of Wind and the Land of Ashes to assess and take care of a local mob boss that was causing some trouble. There'd been whispers all the way from the land of Ashes to Konoha that this particular mob boss was abducting women from the small towns spread throughout the desert and prostituting them out to the highest bidders. He'd been all too happy to take him out, and it wasn't much different from any other kill and run mission he had been on, save for the fact that they had been prepared for him. They knew that he, specifically had been given the solo mission, and that was enough to give him the sense that something bigger was at work. He gritted his teeth as he contemplated what that could possibly mean, and where the leak was in the system. He was anticipating an exasperatingly long afternoon spent in his little brother's office before he was allowed to take a shower.

It was early afternoon by the time the gates of his hometown finally came into sight for the first time in four months. The sun was high in the sky and the heat was unforgiving. There was a stiff breeze blowing through the open gates, carrying the smells of the food stands and restaurants nearest the wall. His stomach made a loud noise of protest, and he groaned as another bodily want made itself known. He had just started to estimate the odds of Gaara letting him eat while being debriefed when a familiar face came into his line of vision.

"Baki! What brings you to the gate today? Isn't your time usually split between roaming the halls in the Kazekage building with Kasumi and torturing fresh genin into shape?" There was a friendly smile on his face as he greeted the older man. The man in question shrugged.

"Duty called elsewhere. I see you made it back in one piece, Kankuro." Baki's face was as blank as ever, but there was a subtle mirth in the one eye that Kankuro could see. The puppet master shrugged as well.

"Are you surprised or disappointed?" Kankuro feigned offense and Baki preceded his response with yet another shrug, his exposed eye sparkling.

"After working with Kasumi, nothing much surprises me anymore." Kankuro shook his head with a smile, already walking past Baki and into the village. "Lord Kazekage's in his office." Kankuro raised his hand in thanks and turned toward the largest spherical building in the center of the city where the office of the Kazekage was located, all the while grumbling about brats and Sand in unmentionable places.

\-----

The door to her apartment opened abruptly and met the wall inside with a slam. If she hadn't been expecting her rude intruder, she might have killed her.

"I'm just wondering, do you even know how to knock or were you born without the polite setting?" Her voice was full of dry humor, and she glanced over her shoulder to grin at her friend in the doorway. Her friend snorted and waved a hand in front of her, as if to dismiss the idea.

"Nah, it slowed me down so I upgraded to a quicker, meaner operating system." She rolled her eyes while shutting the door behind her. She bent down to slip off her shoes before speaking again. "So, a little birdie informed me that Kankuro's been seen in town." The girl in the kitchen knew her friends' tone of voice all too well - she'd dubbed it the Inquisition Tone. She scoffed and set down the bowl of food she'd been holding before responding as the other made her way into the kitchen.

"Well, he does live in Suna. It would hardly be a stretch of the imagination to think he'd be spotted in his own hometown." She rolled her eyes and continued her preparations, ignoring the shit-eating grin on her best friends face as best as she could.

"Oh, come on Mai. You're not being fun today." The aforementioned girl scoffed once more.

"I believe that our ideas of fun greatly differ, Kasumi." Mai's voice was wry, but Kasumi took note of the subtle blush coloring her friends cheeks.

"Wait. Don't tell me," Kasumi glanced around as she entered the kitchen at the various plates of food covering every available surface, "he's coming here, right? That's what all this is for." If it was possible, Kasumi's grin grew wider as she motioned to the food Mai was in the process of preparing and plating. Mai stiffened for only a moment.

"I wouldn't know. I'm simply getting things ready for the rest of the week, you know I hate cooking all the time and I don't like eating out all the time either. Also since I'm supposed to be on house rest, I have all this free time and nothing to do with it. And besides, he just came home from a mission and we're only friends. It's not like he's got an obligation to see me as soon as he's back in town, and he hasn't really been gone that long anyway. It's more likely that he'll be reporting to Kazekage-sama and then showering and sleeping. That's what I'd be doing." There was a barely noticeable note of insecurity in Mai's voice as she continued working. Kasumi let out a short laugh and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, yeah. I call bullshit. He's been gone for four months, and don't act like you haven't been all kinds of twitchy waiting for him to return. And for the record, when you got home from the last mission you went on before he left, the first thing you did was go see him. Which made the Kinai-san at the hospital mad, and that's why your ribs are still busted up from your mission a month ago because he won't heal you now. Also, you hate reheating your food and you never make this much for yourself. Or me, for that matter, which is pretty crappy if you ask me. I think I rate just a little extra effort, what with putting up with you for so long and using what little healing skills I have to help you when you make the medic-nins mad. Like that time right after you became a chunin and you went on your first joint mission with Kankuro and you threw up all over my shoes and you told everyone it was because you were overheated, but it was really because Kankuro had smirked at you. And you know, now that I think about it, you've never really managed to become immune to that smirk. I think that the next time he gives it to you you should just haul off and -" Mai cut Kasumi off with a vicious glare and a slap to the back of her head. Kasumi held her hands up in surrender before surreptitiously rubbing the growing knot on the back of her head.

"Your mouth is moving Kasumi, you should see to that," Mai turned back to the stove and hesitated before speaking again, "I don't really know when I'll see him. We really are just friends. We had sort of an argument before he left. It was stupid, but he knows I like to stay mad about stupid things." Kasumi watched her friend for along moment before speaking again.

"You know, despite all my teasing, I do think it's kinda cute how hopeless you are over the guy." Mai glanced over her shoulder at Kasumi, her eyebrows raised skeptically. There was a strangely dreamy look growing across Kasumi's face and Mai sighed deeply.

"Yeah, well. Appreciating unrequited love always was your favorite pastime." The words were simple enough, but Kasumi knew Mai well enough to understand that she was close to stepping on a sore subject. Kasumi held her hands up in surrender once more. Kankuro had always been a favorite subject of Kasumi's. Once, because he was incredibly fun to tease, and now because her best friend was hopelessly in love with him. Kasumi didn't really know when Mai's feelings for the puppet master had begun to change - probably around the same time that Gaara had become the Kazekage and the two had been sent on more missions together - but they'd only gotten deeper after Kankuro and Mai had somehow become close friends on a month-long mission somewhere in the Land of Wolves shortly after the war had ended. Kasumi still didn't have all the details from that - a fact she was still a little sore over - but she was willing to drop the entire subject for the moment.

"Anyway, I really came over to ask you if you wanted to train with me tomorrow. I know you're still a little banged up from your last mission in the Land of Swamps, so we wouldn't be pulling any heavy jutsu or anything. Besides, you haven't had time to kick my ass since we took that mission to the Hidden Mist six months ago, and I'm pretty sure I can beat you this time since you're a little crippled." Kasumi gave her best friend a crooked smile as she spoke. Mai took the peace offering for what it was and let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Kasumi was her best friend for many reasons, and her ability to provide Mai with a painless exit strategy was only one of them.

"That's because you think too hard to make the right moves to make sure you won't hurt me. I may be a little fragile right now, but I'm not made of spun glass, you know."

\-----

Gaara's office was much the same as it had been the last time Kankuro had seen it. The colors were still muted, the desk was still orderly, and the redhead in question still bore a look of concentration that stood firmly on the borders between intense and bored. Unfortunately for Kankuro, that was where the list of similarites had ended.

Kankuro didn't know how long he'd been standing in the doorway, gaping like a fish out of water, but he did know that everything that was happening in front of him was the fault of one Rock Lee of Konoha. The green-spandex-wearing Leaf jounin was currently spinning the Kazekage of Suna around in wide circles, humming to some tune that he was trying to keep them both in step to. Kankuro knew that Gaara, at least, knew he was there, but he just couldn't seem to find anything in him that was still capable of speech. After about four more spins and one poorly attempted dip - tried and failed by Lee when Gaara gave him a withering glare that plainly stated he would not be dipped - Kankuro figured he must have made some kind of sound because Lee suddenly released his grip on Gaara and shot a respectable distance away from the redhead. Kankuro stared for a moment longer, watching the two with caution, and Lee grew frighteningly still.

"Kankuro." Gaara's greeting seemed to snap Lee back into motion. The Leaf jounin beamed at Kankuro and, despite the fact that Kankuro still found him to be very odd, he found himself smiling back.

"Kankuro! You've returned safely! That is wonderful! Gaara and I were just -"

"Lee, I need to speak to Kankuro. Why don't you go find Baki and Kasumi and inquire about the preparations?" Gaara's voice was laced with a little too much now-is-not-the-time-for-that for Kankuro's liking and Lee began nodding vigorously.

"Yosh! I will be sure to ensure that preparations are moving on schedule! This is to be a marvelous and youthful occasion and everything must be perfect!" Kankuro watched Lee with the same sort of almost-apprehension that he always felt around the Leaf jounin. As Lee bustled out of the room with a few more 'youthful!' proclamations, Kankuro turned to his younger brother.

Kankuro had been very wary of the relationship between his brother and the very enthusiastically exuberant Rock Lee in the beginning, but the more time he spent observing the two of them, the more he came to appreciate Lee as a permanent part of his future. The affect he had on Gaara was noticeable even if you weren't close to the young Kazekage. There was a life in Gaara now that was entirely due to the influence of the spandex-wearing, exuberantly shouting jounin, and he had since become something of a fond novelty for the people of Suna. The sound of Gaara clearing his throat brought Kankuro out of his thoughts.

"Preparations for what?" Kankuro made his way into the office completely, shutting the door behind him as he did so. Gaara took his usual place behind his desk and sat down, folding his hands in front of him. Kankuro took a seat in one of the chairs that had been pushed to the side of Gaara's desk and sighed heavily. He knew that sitting would only make it worse once he had to get up again, but he figured he might as well be seated comfortably for delivering his report and learning about whatever the village was preparing for. Gaara wordlessly slid a piece of paper across his desk toward Kankuro.

"What's this?" Kankuro asked, leaning forward and picking the piece of paper up with a sigh. He scanned the words, his eyes growing wider with each line he read. He glanced up to see Gaara giving him what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. "You have got to be shitting me." As he gave the paper another horrified reading, the grin on Gaara's face spread into a full blown smile.

\-----

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai and Kasumi have a heart to heart, Kankuro learns some distressing news, and Lee is a perfect gentleman. Which we all knew already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Mad props to Masashi Kishimoto.

"So, you're not even going to eat any of this?" Kasumi's voice was full of disbelief. Mai shook her head, wrapping yet another plate of food.

"Truth be told, I'm taking these up to the orphanage. I really didn't want to tell you because I know how you feel about that place still. I know things have been better there since Gaara became the Kazekage, but still." Mai paused in the middle of pulling out a basket to carry the food in, trying to decide what it was she wanted to say. "Anything helps them - especially since the number of orphans has risen since the war ended three years ago - and well. You remember what it was like when we were growing up, and there were only thirteen of us then. There are at least 35 orphans living there now." Mai's voice was soft as she mentioned the orphanage. Kasumi had made her promise not to speak about growing up there - life had been very hard when they were children, and bringing it up was difficult for both kunoichi for numerous reasons.

"Shit yeah, I do. Even the rats wouldn't eat that sludge they called food." There was more anger in Kasumi's voice than there had been in Mai's. Mai wasn't sure if Kasumi would ever make peace with the past and the things they'd lived through. Yondaime Kazekage had been a hard man, cruel to his children and the village alike. He'd ruled with fear and violence, and it wasn't so hard to believe that he'd neglected to care for the orphaned children of Suna. The conditions they'd grown up in were deplorable, but Mai couldn't make peace with it for Kasumi. Mai returned to her work of packing up the food with a fierce frown on her face.

"Well, anyway. There's enough here to feed them until dinner time tomorrow. It's the least I can do for those kids, and I know several others are helping out as well." Kasumi watched Mai packing food into a basket and tried her hardest to beat back waves of unwanted memories of abuse and neglect. Mai had somehow battled her demons from the place, but Kasumi's still had a tight grip on her gag reflex, and the more she thought about it, the sicker she felt.

"Kas, let it go." Mai's voice was soft, but firm, and she paused to sigh before continuing, "It was a long time ago, and we can't change it now." Kasumi sighed deeply, swallowing back the knot in her throat.

"It's just . . . hard, for me to let it go once it's dragged back up. You know that, Mai." Mai nodded slowly as she finished packing the food into the basket and turned to face her friend. There was a cheesy grin on her face that made Kasumi snort and shake her head.

"Now, you don't  _have_ to come with me, but it'd be nice to have someone help me carry all this stuff. It's heavy, and like you said before, I'm a little crippled." Kasumi held her hands up in front of her and stood from her seat at the kitchen table.  _  
_

"You know, I'd love to, I really would, but I've got some things to take care of with Baki before the day is over." Kasumi ignored the sudden blinding grin on Mai's face. Mai followed her friend to the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You know," she started, the grin apparent even in her voice, "you've been spending an awful lot of time with Baki as of late." Kasumi sat down to pull her sandals on, completely ignoring Mai's comment.

"Well it was great seeing you today Mai, but I'm afraid I've got to go now." Mai stepped in front of her as she stood, blocking her escape from the apartment.

"Oh no you don't. You don't get to grill me on Kankuro and then run out as soon as I mention the Veiled Wonder." Mai's smile was about as big as it could get, and Kasumi was mentally calculating the distance from Mai's window on the fourth floor to the ground below. She was fairly certain she could make the jump without having to exert any extra effort or use any unnecessary chakra. 

"I wish you wouldn't call him that Mai. He's our superior, for crying out loud." Kasumi was beginning to back away toward the window closest to her, which was unfortunately still on the entire opposite side of the room. "There's nothing going on. I'm proud to be asked to work with him so much. He's strong and knowledgeable, and he cares for his village and his team. Everything a good shinobi should be." Kasumi watched with mild terror as a sly grin began replacing the giddy one on Mai's face. She knew she'd teased Mai far worse about Kankuro, but this wasn't a side of the conversation she was used to being on. Mai narrowed her eyes and shook her head slowly.

"You know, those are also redeeming qualities of another kind of male." Mai took a few slow steps toward Kasumi - who was still slowly backing away toward the window - but her pursuit ended only a few steps away from the doorway. She fixed Kasumi with a look that Kasumi couldn't read clearly.

"It's not so bad, having someone you feel that way about." Mai looked thoughtful for a moment and Kasumi thought it might be safe to stop retreating. "It's not always great," Mai shrugged, and a wry smile crossed her face, "but it's not so bad either."

Kasumi gave Mai a thoughtful once-over. Her friend had been giddy about the puppet master for nearly ten years, and she seemed to be functioning alright. It did seem to give her some unnecessary stress, but Kasumi reasoned that it also gave her some unexpected reasons to be happy. So maybe she was right, and it wasn't all that bad after all. Kasumi wasn't entirely certain what she felt for her supervisor, but she knew that the last time they'd trained together he'd reached over her shoulder to show her a better kunai technique, and his breath on her neck had shorted her thoughts out so much that she'd nearly blinded a nearby chunin with her errantly-thrown kunai. She almost asked Mai if that giddy nervousness was what she felt when she was around Kankuro, but she wasn't really ready for a conversation that would dig that deep into her feelings. So instead, she sighed and shrugged.

"Well, maybe. I really do have to go though. I'll come by in the morning, alright?" Kasumi walked across the room, embracing Mai in a gentle one-armed hug as she passed her. Mai hummed an agreement, a knowing smile on her face as she watched her friend. "And hey, don't mention this to Paint Face, okay? I'm not sure I can handle him knowing that." Mai laughed in a loud burst, shaking her head.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell the veiled wonder I said hello." Kasumi flushed lightly before shaking her head and yanking the door open. Mai heard her muttering the whole way out.

\-----

Kankuro was staring unseeingly at his younger brother, wondering if he'd somehow been possessed by Shukaku again or if his brother was really as evil as the stories had always said. He continued staring. He'd read through the proclamation at least six times, and he still wasn't sure he'd managed to glean every bit of information from the paper.

"No comments?" Gaara's usually monotone voice was laced with trace amounts of amusement. Kankuro was silently plotting impossible assassination schemes. What could he even begin to say?

The paper was a decree from the Daimyo of Wind country, with agreements signed by every member of the Sunagakure council and all the minor lords, stating that there was to be a ball held in which the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand would find a suitable prospect for a wife. If the Kazekage of Sunagakure was not inclined toward women, which Gaara most certainly was not, then the task would fall to the elder brother of the Kazekage.

Apparently, the Daimyo and the council of Suna were anxious to have their family grow in ways that would continue to protect Suna and its interests. He knew that they would have been gunning for Temari, but she'd been involved with that lazy Konoha jounin for years, and the last time they'd tried to force Temari into anything it had fallen to Gaara and himself to stop her from killing them all. He was suddenly wishing he hadn't stopped her.

"I . . ." Kankuro didn't know what there was to say. He couldn't refuse a direct order from the Daimyo, minor lords, and the council unless the Kazekage himself refused it. Kankuro watched the grin spreading across Gaara's face and knew his brother was giving no argument against the decree. Kankuro was beginning to wish that the Sand had swallowed him whole.

\-----

Mai was halfway to her door with two large baskets of food when a familiar chakra signature brushed up against her consciousness. When the knock came seconds later, she simply yelled for the visitor to come in - it wasn't as though she had a free hand to open the door anyway.

Rock Lee stood on the other side of the doorway, a bright grin spread across his face. It was infectious in its brilliance and an answering smile found its way onto Mai's. Since the very first time she'd met him, she had been very fond of the spandex-wearing, slightly ridiculous jounin. He was odd, of that there was no doubt, but he'd always been genuine and earnest. Mai was certain the young man didn't have a deceptive bone in his body. He was also a major inspiration for the young woman.

When she'd learned that he had no genjutsu or ninjutsu, and relied fully on his taijutsu, she'd been impressed. When she'd seen his mastery of that same taijutsu for herself, she'd been suitably awed. His taijutsu was at a higher level than anyone else she had ever met, and the rumor was that his teacher - a man named Maito Gai who had apparently also inspired everything Lee was - was an even better and more flamboyant shinobi. Mai had warmed up to Lee the very first time they'd been introduced.

"Good afternoon, Lee. What brings you here?" Mai was trying to figure out the mechanics of slipping her shoes on without having to set down her baskets. She didn't have to think long - when Lee noted she was having difficulties he lifted both baskets from her arms without so much as asking.

"Good afternoon, Mai. I was looking for Kasumi. I was told she was here." He glanced around the living area as if she might appear in his line of vision if he looked hard enough. Mai, after sliding her shoes on, stood up to take the baskets back from Lee. He handed them over peaceably enough - he had the almost annoying habit of insisting to be helpful sometimes.

"Oh, she was. She left about ten minutes ago. She said she had something to do with Baki." Mai adjusted the baskets on her arms before remembering she couldn't lock her door with both hands tied up. Sighing, she handed one basket back to Lee. "Would you mind holding this for a moment?" Lee took the basket back from her with a bright smile.

"Of course! What kind of man would I be if I allowed a beautiful flower such as yourself to struggle under the weight of your burden!' Lee then struck what Mai had come to know as his patented Nice Guy Pose, with one arm extended forward into a thumbs up and the other placed on his hip, basket dangling at a precarious angle. Mai laughed before shooing him out the door and shutting it behind him. "Where are you headed with this load Mai?" Lee was done posing and was back to his good-natured, helpful self.

"I'm taking this food to the orphanage. Want to walk with me?" Mai was already a few steps away from her doorway, headed toward the stairs, and Lee followed behind. He evened his steps out - his legs were longer than hers, after all - and matched her speed. They walked down the stairs in a peaceful silence and headed down the street in the afternoon heat.

"So why are you bringing this food to the orphanage? Is there a problem with the food they have?" Lee's voice was close to being overly concerned and Mai added another tick on the list of things to love about Lee. She shrugged and made a noncommittal hum in the back of her throat.

"It's not that, it's just . . . well, with the war and all," she paused, clearing her throat, "the number of orphans in their care has grown more than they really have the resources for. It's the least I can do for them. I've been taking food up there every day this past week. It makes me happy to watch the kids faces light up when they get something new to eat."

There was a faint smile on Mai's face and as they walked along the relatively busy street she waved and greeted the people she passed. Lee was often struck by how kind Mai was, especially to him. He was more than used to being told how odd he was - and he had many friends despite that, friends that he loved and that loved him just the same - but she'd never had trouble accepting him. He knew he was a bit strange - it was just as much a fact to him as Suna being dry or water being wet or people being people - but she'd always been very fond of him. Suddenly he frowned, studying her with a pensive look he'd learned from years of hospital trips under the watchful eyes of Tenten.

"I was under the impression that you were on strict orders to stay home and rest, Mai. You received massive damage to your ribcage in your last mission, and then hurt yourself further by running the whole way back from the Land of Swamps to Suna. And then you made things even worse for yourself by making the medic-nins at the hospital mad." His eyes were narrowed as he studied her. Mai flushed lightly before turning her own calculating glance on Lee.

"You're not thinking of reporting me, are you? Because a certain loud-mouthed newly-appointed Hokage from Konoha has told me stories of your own problems with bed rest and following the orders of medical ninja." It was Lee's turn to flush as Mai grinned at him.

"Well, we should always push ourselves to our limits to hope for an explosion of youthful brilliance!" He paused and peeked over his shoulder at the shorter girl. "But, we should also be willing to take the advice of those who know more than we do, especially when we are hurt. Injuries can go from simple to life-threatening in a matter of moments. That was a lesson I nearly died to learn." Lee's voice was somber and she wondered what he was remembering. The morose look on his face was quickly replaced with another brilliant smile and his Nice Guy Pose made another appearance. Mai laughed and shook her head.

"I know. But it wasn't  _that_ bad of an injury to begin with. Just some cracked ribs, a broken collar bone, and bruises that rain the entire length of my legs. The bruises came because I miscalculated a jump and ended up waist-deep in some really questionable water. I'm still not sure about the rest of the cuts, bumps, and bruises. And I was only placed on house and bed rest because Kinai-san is still mad about the time I came home half-dead and bloody and went straight to find -" She cut herself off abruptly, peeking at Lee through her lashes. He was looking at her attentively, and also a little concerned, as she'd been rambling on quite fine just moments before.

"Mai, are you alright?" His expression was growing rapidly more concerned and he took a step towards her. She held out a hand to stop him, waving it quickly.

"Sorry, sorry! I just breathed in a little sharp and it jostled my ribs, but I'm okay!" She spoke much louder than she'd intended as she made her excuse. It wasn't exactly a village secret that she was in love with Kankuro - teenage girls, no matter how battled hardened or trained in espionage, are rarely subtle when it comes to a crush - but it still wasn't something she wanted front page news on. She didn't know if Lee knew about it, but still wasn't willing to share it outright.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I went to see a friend instead of going to the hospital like I should have, and Kinai-san got upset with how reckless I was, and he said that my punishment would be six months of natural healing from anything but life-threatening injuries. He checks me out of course, but refuses to heal me unless it's something big. Kasumi helps out a little, but she also agrees that my actions weren't the smartest. They both think that healing naturally will teach me a lesson about my priorities." Mai watched her feet for a few steps, thinking about her last mission. The fight she'd ended up getting hurt in had been completely avoidable, but she'd been careless. It was a genin mistake that she'd felt ridiculous for afterward, but her target had gotten the drop on her before she'd even had a chance to consider that he might attack. She'd almost spoiled the whole intelligence-gathering mission by getting killed prematurely.

"Mai?" Lee's voice was concerned again. Mai looked up from her feet and smiled brightly, shrugging a little as she did so.

"Anyway, I'm not much for bed rest. I've laid off training for the past week, and I won't be cleared for light duty until next week. I was just going a little stir-crazy sitting around my house, so I decided to do this. Cooking is time-consuming, but not especially dangerous, and it's benefiting the kids. That seemed worthwhile to me." Mai shrugged again, her smile bright as she met Lee's eyes. Lee smiled back at her just as brightly.

"It seems that we are more alike than I had ever thought before! This brilliant young flower is full to bursting with youthful excellence! This is truly a joyous occasion in the springtime of our youth, that I might find a kindred spirit in this passionate young beauty! I will write to Gai-sensei at once and tell him of your flower of youth!" Tears were streaming down Lee's face as he made another exclamation, complete with excessive arm motions and shouting, but he continued walking with a now-laughing Mai. She regarded him fondly and smiled. Maybe Lee was right.

\-----

Kankuro had been back in Suna for all of two and a half hours, and he was completely ready for another mission. He would leave that very second, on any mission that might save him. He knew it was a long shot. The ball was in two very short weeks - the interim time would be spent inviting all eligible women of worth and preparing Suna for the coming influx of people. Short of a political uprising, natural disaster, or assassination attempt, there would be no need to call the puppet master away from Suna.

When Gaara  _finally_ let him out of his office after laughing at him - genuinely  _laughing_ at him - for almost an hour and a half, and then demanding his report with full detail, Kankuro stood in the hall of the Kazekage building for nearly fifteen minutes before getting his immediate priorities in order. The first thing he needed was a shower. Maybe once he had washed all the Sand out of his person he'd be able to clearly assess the turn his life had taken, and form any and all escape plans he could think of. Maybe it wouldn't help, but he had to hold on to whatever hope was left to him at that point.

\-----

"Thank you so much Mai-san! You're so wonderful for doing this!" Mai shook her head fiercely, smiling brightly at the young woman who was currently running the orphanage.

"Don't thank me Yui-san. i want to help, and I'm just trying to do my part to take care of the children. I wish there was more that I was in a position to do, honestly." She gently pushed the baskets into the arms of Yui, who took them with watery eyes. "Just have someone drop these by my apartment when you're done with them. Take your time. And please, let me know if there is absolutely anything else I can do to help." Mai waved to her and the little children now peeking around the young woman in the doorway. She turned on her heel and headed away from the orphanage, back across town where her apartment was. Lee was frowning thoughtfully and she watched him out of the corner of her eye. 

"Alright Lee. What's going on in that head of yours?" Mai's legs were starting to ache with every step she took, and her shoulder was quite possibly killing her. The bruises stretched from ankle to shoulder, and each time her foot hit the ground she felt them throb. She wrapped her arms around herself in a vague effort to make the ache stop spreading. Lee's frown deepened.

"You grew up in the orphanage, didn't you?" His voice was gentle. He sounded like he was trying to approach a wild animal and walk away unscathed. Mai swallowed the sudden lump that had appeared in her throat. She nodded her head for a moment before she realized he was steadfastly not looking at her. She could have kissed him for that fact alone. 

"Yes. I did, and so did Kasumi. That's where we met." Her voice sounded strong, so she thought she might be able to get through the whole conversation without breaking down. It was one thing to discuss the orphanage with Kasumi, who knew everything and didn't need things explained, it was entirely another to discuss them with someone who had not been there. She had made peace with the things in her past, but that didn't mean they couldn't hurt her anymore.

"What happened to your parents?" Lee was still not looking at her, and his voice was still gentle. Mai frowned fiercely, slowing her steps as she put her answer together. Lee slowed his steps so he remained by her side. She sighed deeply.

"My parents were killed on a mission. I was never told all the details - though I'm sure I could find them if I wanted - just that they had served the previous Kazekage well. They even received a special funeral and the Daimyo himself came to speak at it. I don't know what happened to Kasumi's family. She's never once talked about them, and I respect her enough not to go digging." Lee's frown grew deeper.

"How old were you when you were sent there?" There was concern in his voice, and curiosity, but not a shred of pity. Mai didn't think she'd have been able to answer him if she'd heard any pity.

"I was four. I'm not even sure I really remember them out of my own memories. Everything I know about them I learned from someone they went on a mission with, or from a report I happened to come across in the archives. I only know what they look like because of a single picture I have taken a few months after I was born. I don't really miss them, if that's what you're wondering. I can't miss someone I never really had the chance to know." She paused for a moment, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He still wasn't looking at her; his eyes were trained straight ahead on the street in front of them. She took a deep breath. "Kasumi was sent to the orphanage a year after I was."

She felt a little like she was reciting information off a scroll, like the stats of a life she hadn't lived herself. She hoped that if she kept herself detached, she wouldn't have to deal with the emotional backlash that was sure to follow.

"And it was . . ." Lee's voice dropped off, like he was trying to find the right words, "what were your lives like?" He chanced a glance at her, and seeing the sudden flash of pain across her face made him turn his eyes immediately back to the road. She sighed on a long exhale.

"Well, it wasn't great. There wasn't always enough food, and what we did have was little more than mean gruel and stale bread. The people who ran the orphanage cared very little for the state of our health or well-being. Yondaime Kazekage was a cruel man where children were concerned. He believed he could train our basic needs out of us. It go, well. It got bad. Very bad. I'd recommend not asking Kasumi about it. She had a rougher time than I did. She's always been something of a loose cannon, you know? I can't tell you how many times I found her beat up and bloody." Mai's voice trailed off, her eyes growing dark with memories. 

Lee made a strangled, swallowing sort of sound deep in his chest. Mai gave him a quick look over her shoulder. His face was calm, almost alarmingly blank, but his eyes burned with a fierce emotion. Maybe understanding? Lee reached out suddenly and placed a gentle arm around her shoulders. He was mindful of her still-bruised body parts and tugged her gently to his side. He didn't say another word the entire way back to the apartment, and when he left, he only gave her another gentle hug before waving goodbye. Once again, Mai could have kissed him.

\-----

After Kankuro had showered, eaten, and made a strange kind of peace with the fact that he was in fact being forced into a semi-arranged marriage, he found himself sprawled across his bed and staring aimlessly at his ceiling. He'd been staring at the same spot for close to two hours, doing his best to avoid thoughts of a certain kunoichi across town and the argument they'd had the day before he left. He was especially trying not to think about the stupid decree Gaara had signed - could he not have delayed it until he had returned from his mission and he could have pleaded his case? He was beginning to be quite content laying there for the rest of the evening, just staring up at the ceiling pockmarked by the points of many distractedly-thrown kunai, but guilt crept up on him quite suddenly.

_She's probably heard I'm back in town._ Kankuro turned onto his side, smashing his face in the pillow he'd curled under his left arm.  _This is stupid. I'm stupid._ Kankuro stared at a new spot on his wall for all of about five minutes before becoming frustrated. He sat up quickly and punched the pillow he'd been resting on. Without really putting a whole lot of thought into it, he dressed himself the rest of the way - deciding to forgo the face paint he'd just washed off. He managed to trudge his way downstairs without being seen and slung his puppets up onto his back. It wouldn't do to appear unarmed if she still managed to be pissed at him. Even if he had been gone for four months, he knew that she was just as likely to be angry at him as she was to have forgotten the argument altogether. He hadn't heard from her the entire time he'd been gone, but he hadn't really expected to. It wasn't like he'd been very concerned with sending word back himself. Missions were missions, and despite his own personal wishes, they were only friends.

He was halfway through slipping his shoes back on when Temari caught him in the entry way. He cursed his unfortunate luck. She  _had_ to have heard about the decree already - there weren't really any secrets between the siblings anymore - and he knew he was  _not_ looking forward to that conversation. He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Look, I'm sure that you've heard all about it already from Gaara, and I'm really just not in the mood to be teased right now sis. I'm going to see Mai." Kankuro pointedly ignored the fact that Temari's slightly insulted look changed to a smirk that could rival Gaara's. She'd spent the last year or so doing her best to convince him to just confess his feelings to Mai, and every time he mentioned her in passing Temari jumped on the subject like it was the last water in the desert. He shook his head. "You're as bad as the brat, you know that?" Without waiting for a response, he opened the door, stepped out, and shut it firmly behind him. With the way his luck was going, he was counting on not surviving the trip to Mai's apartment.

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> -Queenie


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai learns some distressing news, Lee is troubled, and Kankuro puts his foot in it. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: It's all still Masashi Kishimoto's. Promise.

Mai was halfway through her sixth and best attempt at re-wrapping the bandages around her upper torso when the door, once again, slammed open. She hadn't been paying as close attention as she normally did, so the sudden slam caught her off guard. She was too busy trying to figure out where Kasumi managed to knot the damn bandages behind her back when she did this for Mai, and as such, she couldn't school her features quick enough. Kankuro dodged the errant kunai she had thrown with ease and was greeted with the sight of a shell-shocked, half-naked, mostly-bruised Mai seated on her coffee table in the living room. They stared at one another for a long moment before Mai came back to her senses.

"Well, shut the damn door." Mai resumed the act of attempting to wrap her torso and Kankuro did as she suggested, and shut the damn door behind him. He toed his shoes off in silence and left his puppets by the door before walking over to take a seat on the couch across from her. He watched her for a long moment, counting the new injuries and measuring the way an ugly bruise seemed to manifest from beneath the waistband of her pants and stretch all the way up to her shoulder. He wondered how and when she had gotten them, but knew that she'd either volunteer the information or he'd pry it out of her or someone else later. 

When Mai had herself bandaged - after allowing Kankuro to tie and tuck the ends into the wrapping just under her armpit, and only because she was incapable of twisting like normal due to the crack in her collar bone - and wrapped to her satisfaction, she slipped her thin black sleeveless shirt back over her head, letting it settle in place while she thought about what to say next.

"How was your mission?" She thought her voice sounded strange, but maybe it was the pain medication she'd taken roughly half an hour beforehand. Suddenly it felt like there was so much space between the two of them, even though there was only a gulf of about two feet actually separating them. Kankuro snorted.

"I know you don't want to talk about the damn mission, Mai." Kankuro rubbed a hand over his face and pulled his cat-eared hat off with a sigh. He scratched a hand through his brown hair and Mai watched him fondly. If things were different, she could imagine coming home to this every day. His voice broke her mini-daydream. "But maybe we should talk about what the hell happened to you. As much as I'm glad to see you, and believe me when I say that I am, you look like shit." He gestured vaguely to Mai's chest area and she frowned even as a warm rush of affection ran through her.

"You know I don't want to talk about that, either." She sighed heavily, wincing when the action pulled at her sore chest muscles. She stood slowly and walked to the bathroom to put away her medical supplies. She was not surprised when Kankuro followed her.

He was a dark shadow leaning against her bathroom doorjamb, frowning and concerned and far too handsome for her to handle. She bit the inside of her cheek while she put the bandages away. She watched him cross his arms over his chest, drawing the black fabric tight against his chest and arms. She felt her ears burning as she turned her attention fully to her task. When that was done, she closed the cabinet and leaned against the sink, twisting her fingers together. She took a deep breath at nearly the same time he did.

"I just wanted to say I -"

"Look, you know I'm bad at -"

Mai laughed in a short burst of air, and she was afraid the sound was nervous. She gave him a quick smile and focused on a point on the wall just over his shoulder. She did not ignore the fact that Kankuro wasn't smiling. She cleared her throat.

"I'll go first, then." She brushed past him and made her way into the kitchen. She always thought better when she had something to do with her hands. She busied herself with the process of making tea and ordered her thoughts. "I wanted to tell you I'm sorry." She knew he was listening to her. She knew that he was leaning against the counter just two feet away from her and staring at her with those impossibly dark, expressive eyes. It was almost more than she could take. She felt her cheeks flushing as he took a deep breath.

"Well, that's probably my job." She didn't look up from her task, but she knew he was frowning as he spoke. "I shouldn't have left like I did. We were in the middle of an argument, and I knew that leaving like that would be wrong. And I was lying when I told you that I didn't have time to stay and talk it out with you. But I was angry, and stupid, and well. Four months is a damn long time to go without . . . well, without this." He waved a hand between the two of them before he sighed in a loud burst of air, and out of the corner of her eyes she watched him scrub another hand over his face.

"I missed you, Mai. Forgive me?" He thrust one of his hands into her line of vision, holding it out for her to shake.  She gave him a quick smile, but ignored his hand and the way his words made her own hands shake just the smallest amount.

"You got it." Her voice seemed just a little too carefree for him to believe that everything had been resolved, but she didn't seem to be trying as hard to smile as she had when he'd walked in, and being this close to her helped soothe his nerves.

He reached out for her and gently wrapped both his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. He lowered his head to surreptitiously nose through her hair, desperate for contact with her. Being her best friend had its benefits, being able to freely hug her was definitely one of those, but it left him balancing a very thin line to maintain his cover. She clicked her tongue a little, but stilled her restless movement at the counter. He felt her curl her right hand around his forearm, and the contact sent little shocks down his arm.

"Mai . . . I really missed you, you know. I don't like it when things are so awkward between us." His voice was quiet - he was only ever so gentle when they were alone. Mai felt her heart tripping up in her chest. "So, seriously. Do you forgive me?" 

Mai sighed heavily - he could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his arms as she leaned back against him. The bandages made a scratchy noise as they rubbed against her shirt, and no matter what she said about it, he wasn't going to let the subject of her injuries go so easily.

"I missed you too," Mai admitted, her voice quiet as she spoke, "I don't like it when it's awkward either. And I hate watching you walk away mad at me." She felt his chest moving as he inhaled deeply, and the quiet exhale that followed sent shivers down her spine. He tightened his arms just the smallest amount and she cleared her throat. She frowned fiercely then, and straightened to continue working around his arms. She was doing her level best not to be distracted by how warm he smelled, or how nice it felt for him to hold her. "I hate watching you walk away when I'm mad at you. I'm sorry that I get upset at the dumbest things."

Kankuro squeezed her gently once more before releasing her and heading to flop into a seat at her table. She watched him sprawl bonelessly in the way that only a tall man could, sighing deeply, and felt her cheeks tint slightly as the movement stretched his shirt nicely over his chest. She was as hyper aware of this fact as she was nearly everything else about him.

"Mai, don't beat yourself up about it. I was sort of an asshole as well." He gave her a gentle smile and regarded her fondly. "We're two peas in a pod, silly girl." She returned the smile before turning back to the task at hand.

"So, seriously," She said, after taking a moment to get her head back on straight, "how was your mission? You look more beat up than usual." She heard Kankuro sigh deeply behind her and risked a glance over her shoulder. There was a strange frown on his face that made her set down the cups she'd been about to fill moments before. She watched him prepare himself to speak.

"Mm, well. Something was wrong. They knew I was coming. Me, specifically." He waved a hand when her eyes widened the smallest amount. "It was no big deal in the end. They were just as easy to deal with, despite being informed, but it makes me concerned. Obviously there's a leak somewhere in the chain of information, and I'm worried about what else has slipped through the cracks." Mai nodded and turned back to the now-ready tea. She was pouring glasses for them both when he spoke again. "To be honest with you, delivering the report to Gaara was harder than the damn mission. It's good that you decided you would forgive me, honestly, because I'm definitely going to need you in my corner soon." When she turned back around, Kankuro was sitting upright, leaning on the table with a pensive look on his face. Mai took the seat across from him and handed him his tea.

"How do you mean?" She blew across the top of her tea to cool it before she took a sip. Kankuro, always the type to rush in headfirst, took a large swallow and winced as it burned his throat on the way down. He looked like he was gearing himself up for what she could only guess was bad news. She wondered how he needed her to be in his corner. 

"Well. There's been this, uh . . . decree," he paused, and suddenly he was looking anywhere but at her, "ah, hell, I don't even know how to begin." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. Mai was going to tell him that he'd been doing far too much of that lately, and it was only the somber look on his face that stopped her. She set her cup down on the table and stretched across it to take his hand in hers. Mai smoothed her thumb across the back of his larger hand in a comfortable, familiar gesture. The two of them had had many serious talks across this table, on a variety of subjects. She wondered where this one was going.

"You don't have to tell me, you know. I'm always on your side, even when I'm mad at you." She wasn't telling him anything he didn't know. For a long time, their friendship had been built upon the fact that neither of them had to say a word to feel comfortable with each other. They could sit for hours in companionable silence and leave feeling all the better for it. In the last few years of their good friendship, they'd only begun having lengthy discussions in the last two or three. Which of course, is when their arguments cropped up, but even those never lasted very long. Kankuro turned his hand around, squeezing her fingers against his palm. He sighed once more, this one more frustrated than any of the last.

"Mai, I have to get married."

\-----

"Were you aware of the fact that Mai and Kasumi grew up in the orphanage?" Gaara looked up from his paperwork and turned his head to focus his aqua eyes on Lee. Lee had been sitting very quietly behind the Kazekage on the sill of his window, staring blankly across Suna. It was not something that Lee did often, and usually meant that a very serious conversation was going to take place soon, but Gaara had been enjoying the momentary silence. Gaara hummed in his throat after Lee spoke, a simple acknowledgement of the information. When Lee made no other comment for a long three minutes, Gaara turned his attention back to the paperwork in front of him. He got through three more paragraphs of proposed law changes before curiosity took hold.

"Why do you ask?" Gaara had noticed that Lee was more silent than usual, but he hadn't thought to question him as Lee tended to be notoriously vocal with his thoughts. Gaara had assumed that Lee would simply tell him when he was ready. He had taken the quiet as a chance to catch up on the paperwork he'd been neglecting in favor of more invigorating activities with the spandex-wearing Konoha jounin behind him. He only had so much time with the young man, what with him being a shinobi from a neighboring Hidden Village, and he tried to make the most of it when Lee was around. When Lee didn't answer him, Gaara swung his high-backed chair around to properly face his lover. "Lee?"

Lee was still staring out across Suna in the vague direction of Mai's apartment. At least, Gaara assumed that was where his attention had wandered, since he'd brought up the girls' past. Gaara knew full well that the two had grown up in the orphanage, just as he knew everything else there was to know about their early lives. Mai was a special-classed jounin with a talent in genjutsu who'd found a steady job teaching specialized classes at the academy. Kasumi had a brilliant mind for strategy, used a Sand jutsu very similar to Gaara's own Ultimate Defense, and regularly ran missions with Baki. The two of them were trusted kunoichi that Gaara called on regularly to run missions when the situation called for it. Gaara himself had requested Mai for the last mission to the Land of Swamps knowing that her genjutsu and information gathering techniques would be more than adequate, although she had been hurt despite the low-risk of danger. As it stood, Gaara thought he might be  _missing the point_ , as Temari had once called it.

When it looked like Lee was not going to answer him, Gaara stood from his seat and dropped his pen on his desk. He crossed the distance between his chair and the shinobi in his window in two large steps. He did not reach out to touch Lee first - in the nearly five years they'd been a couple he'd initiated contact only twelve times, it was simply easier to allow Lee to set the pace - but he was close enough that his presence was almost a physical touch. Lee shifted toward him minutely and Gaara could see that a fierce frown lined his face and his eyebrows were pulled tight down toward his eyes. Gaara studied him for a long, quiet moment.

"Where have you gone, Lee?" There was a subtle undertone of concern in Gaara's voice as he spoke. Despite outward appearances he did love Lee, as best as he thought someone like him could love, and he'd only seen Lee so quietly distressed twice. The first time had been when his mentor had nearly been killed in a mission. Lee had been inconsolable for weeks, and his quiet grief had pained Gaara in a physical way. The second time had been the day Naruto and Sasuke half-dragged, half-carried each other through the gates of Konoha after the war ended. Lee had shown up in Suna three days later, somber and intense. He had held Gaara so tight that Gaara carried bruises across his ribcage for days afterward.

Lee turned his head suddenly, fixing Gaara with the same intense stare that had pierced through his defenses so many years beforehand, during the chunin exams. Lee was the first person to ever make him  _feel_. Naruto came shortly behind him, breaking his walls down with hard-headed friendship. Aside from the knuckleheaded Hokage, sometimes it felt like Lee was still the only person with whom he could find that level of connection.

"Mai and I . . ." Lee's voice was strangely hoarse as he spoke, but he didn't appear to have been crying, "we are more alike than I had first thought." Lee leaned in slowly, resting his head on Gaara's chest. He closed his eyes and listened to Gaara's heartbeat for close to three minutes before he spoke again. "It is not a bad thing, but it is a strange feeling that I now have. I do not know what it means." Gaara wrapped one arm around Lee, holding him close to his chest. Gaara didn't know what he meant either, but he was glad that Lee was willing to share it with him.

\-----

Mai had been staring at Kankuro for exactly twenty-three minutes and thirteen seconds. He had told her everything in the decree, everything Gaara had said, and all things considered, she seemed to be taking it better than he had. Of course, he hadn't sat there quietly, opening and closing his mouth like some kind of fish out of water. Maybe she was shell-shocked?

"Mai?" Kankuro didn't really know what he was going to say to her now, but he thought that maybe if she answered, and laughed even, he could pretend that his life was still a little bit normal. When he said her name, however, her skin took on a greenish sort of tint that made him afraid she was going to throw up. She held up her free hand - he had trapped the one he was holding before he'd landed the news on her - and shook her head when he opened his mouth to speak again.

"You're getting  _married_? By forced decree?" Her voice cracked a little, but she figured that was the least of her concerns. The only man she'd decided to go ahead and love whole-heartedly was now being forced into an arranged marriage that he could do literally nothing about. Well, wasn't that just her luck?  _And today started out so well for me,_ she thought, somewhat mournfully. Kankuro opened his mouth to speak yet again and she shook her head. She wasn't sure she could handle any more sudden confessions. "What's next? You need dancing lessons?" Kankuro flushed lightly and she rolled her eyes out of agitation.

"Well, if you're offering . . .," he trailed off, keeping a close eye on the tinge of her skin. She'd lost the nauseated look, but she still didn't look completely alright. Mai's jaw was set and she looked like she was grinding her molars together. That usually meant she was seriously unimpressed - he'd been on the receiving end of that look more than once. Kankuro felt like he should apologize, but it wasn't his fault in the first place.  _Damn Daimyo, and damn rules and traditions, and damn that brat for signing the decree in the first place._ Kankuro shook his head, focusing back on Mai as she sighed softly.

"Do you get any say in this thing at all?" She sounded as hopeless as he felt. He briefly wondered why, but shook his head.

"Well, I mean, I get to pick who I marry in the end, but it's not like that makes it any better really. They'll be bringing all 'proper and eligible' women from all over, and inviting all eligible kunoichi from Suna. Gaara said even Naruto would be sending over all his single, eligible, and interested kunoichi. But honestly. Two weeks to invite all these women, and then a week long ball and festival to pick who I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with. The best of the worst is still the worst, Mai." He shrugged, and suddenly he was up out of the chair and pacing the small kitchen, his frustration growing with every long stride.

"I mean, you and I both know that while some good women will show up, they'll be massively outnumbered by the ones who are only out for the position marrying the brother of the Kazekage will provide. I'm sure they'll turn into a money-grubbing whore and I'll be forced to kill myself to stop from killing her!" Kankuro's frustration was growing, fueled by Mai's mutual dislike of the situation. His pacing was growing in speed and he missed the thoughtful look on her face.

"So, pick someone who won't turn out like that. Pick someone you know, someone you already trust. If they show up at the ball, obviously they're open to the idea of marrying you in the first place." Mai was surprised at how steady her voice was. She could feel her heart beating a frenzied pace in her chest. Kankuro stopped mid-stride, turning to stare at Mai. The look on her face was strange, and he had the sudden feeling that he should tread carefully.

"Like who?" He kept his tone carefully neutral, interested in who she would suggest. He didn't pretend not to be waiting with baited breath for her to offer herself, even though he knew he would turn her down. He was selfish - he wouldn't lie to himself about that - but he loved her too much to do that to her.

"Well, I'm sure that Konoha ninja would show up. What's her name, oh, Sakura-san. The one who saved your life?" Mai watched Kankuro's eyes grow wide and felt her heart drop to her gut.  _So he does like her, after all._ The pink-haired kunoichi flashed through her thoughts, and Mai suddenly hated her more than anything else she'd ever hated. It made no difference that the two times she'd spoken to Sakura-san, she had been nothing but friendly and cordial, and Mai had actually liked her quite a lot. 

"No, Sakura might show up, but she'd do it more out of solidarity than anything else. Besides, I've spoken with her maybe a total of four times since that happened, and that was well on ten years ago. If I'm going to drag someone into a marriage through friendship, I'd much rather it be someone that I don't have to worry about killing me with their sheer strength." Kankuro laughed a little sadly, resuming his pacing. He'd finished three turns of the small kitchen when Mai cleared her throat.

"Well," she paused, studying her teacup with more effort than strictly necessary, "what about me?" She heard him come to a stop and chanced a glance up at him.  His eyes were wider than she had ever seen them, and there was a pink flush crossing the bridge of his nose. He started at her for a few long moments - her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she waited for his response - before he started laughing. It started small, a little chuckle, and within moments he was overcome with rib-shaking gales of laughter. She felt her face growing hot, and her grip on her teacup was now precariously tight.

"What? Marry you?" Kankuro knew he shouldn't be laughing, but the exhaustion and hysteria had caught up to him. Marry his best friend? He couldn't put her through such nonsense. Divorce would not be an option once he'd married, and she had the chance to still fall in love for real. As much as he cared about her - as tempting as the idea really was - he just couldn't do that to her. He couldn't make her suffer with him. He missed the hardening of her features, but he did not miss the scrape of her chair as she stood up abruptly.

"And just what exactly is so funny about the idea of marrying me? I know you better than almost anyone, I've fought with you and for you, and I've put my life on the line to keep you safe. I have sacrificed for you more than I've sacrificed for anyone but Kasumi. I may not be perfect, but I'm better than some woman you don't know!" She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest and a fire blazing in her eyes as she spoke.

Kankuro realized all too late that he'd simultaneously shoved his foot into his mouth again, and very possibly lost his only chance with Mai. He opened his mouth to say anything - although what, he wasn't exactly sure - when she held up a single hand. He shut his mouth with an audible click. "You know what? Nevermind. Forget I said anything. Have fun at the ball." She stomped out of the room, her pounding steps not stopping until the door to her bedroom slammed shut. Kankuro sighed heavily.

_Back to square one, I see_. He scratched the back of his head for a moment, trying to figure out what the next step was. After a glance at the shut door of her bedroom, he decided a tactical retreat was probably in order, but walking away completely might ruin what they had forever. He nodded to himself, then slowly headed back into the living room and sprawled out on the couch. Sooner or later, Mai would have to come out of her bedroom. Hopefully, once she had calmed down and he'd figured out what the hell it was he needed to say to her, they could talk.  _Besides,_ he thought, somewhat dejectedly,  _I really do need those dancing lessons._

\-----

Leaning against her bedroom door, Mai felt like an absolute moron. She'd just made a fool of herself in front of Kankuro. Again. She slapped a hand against her forehead, groaning under her breath. She slid down the length of the door before sprawling into a heap at the foot of it.

In two weeks, women from all over would arrive with the hope of being chosen as his wife. Kunoichi, noble women, and all others. They'd put on their best charms and woo him right out of his pants. Mai knew Kankuro very well. He would put up a very good front, being polite but stubborn, and somewhere along the way, one of them would break through his defenses. She knew it took little more than a pretty face and good assets to set him drooling. Being a little bit kick ass definitely helped. Kankuro appreciated the female form and he'd never hidden that fact from anyone. She'd been mostly alright with that, because for the last four years she'd been the only female he'd spent any amount of time with. All the flirting had been done purely with her. The fact that some gold-digging floozy - or even worse, a really nice, sweet-hearted woman that was kind, and gentle, and totally unsullied by the world - was going to soon become Kankuro's permanent wife was just a little revolting and a whole lot heartbreaking. And he had the nerve to laugh wholeheartedly when she'd offered herself as a suggestion.

Mai idly wondered if enough embarrassment could kill a person. She was pretty sure she'd be the first to die of it if it could.

\-----

Kankuro was sprawled across the length of the couch, his eyes unfocused and turned toward a picture frame hung on the wall just inside the doorway. He couldn't actually make out the picture - it was getting dark and he was too lazy to expend the effort or turn on the lights - but he knew what the picture was regardless. It was nearly two years old, and someone had snapped it just after a record-breaking sandstorm. He and Mai had been seated out on the Western wall, slacking off from their patrol duties together, and they'd been staring out across the desert as the Sand had settled in until the next storm. The two of them were in profile, and there was just the hint of a smile on each of their faces. He didn't know who'd taken the picture - ninja could be notoriously tight-lipped on the strangest of things - but he'd found a copy slid under his bedroom door one day. He'd made a habit to keep it on his person at all times. The edges were worn a bit from handling, and the picture itself was creased in several places. Thinking about it's current worn-out state made him glad he'd had a duplicate made - it currently sat on his bedside table.

He'd looked at the picture more times in the last six months than he could count. It had gotten him through many long nights on missions and many days in his empty bedroom. Kankuro didn't consider himself a martyr, and he wasn't a person who got off on self-sacrifice either. The reason he'd never made a move on Mai was because he knew, just like he knew the desert was full of Sand and his eyes were brown, that he wasn't good enough for her.

It wasn't that she was some kind of gorgeous creature, although she was in his eyes. Her smile was a little crooked, and she'd chipped a front tooth in a mission a few years back. Her eyes were a rather unremarkable shade of hazel brown, like many people who lived in Suna, but they always made him feel warm inside. She had dark brown hair that was cropped short because it got in her way, and her skin was a warm tan color sprinkled with freckles.

He didn't love her because she was perfect or saint-like by any stretch of the imagination. Truth be told, she was clumsy at the most inconvenient times and her emotions could shift as quickly as the Sand in a storm. She cursed like a sailor when she was mad and she sang off-key on purpose just to irritate him. She made annoying noises when she was bored or tired, and she had the worst habit of picking her nails with her kunai; a habit which left the tips of all her fingers covered in small scars from clumsy slips.

Mai was notorious for forgetting to turn in her mission reports on time, and when they finally made their way to Gaara's desk they were always far more in-depth than they needed to be. The margins were always crowded with off-handed thoughts and opinions on new tactics for growing produce for the village. She was irritating and thoughtful, obnoxious and beautiful, and he'd had this  _thing_ growing inside of him since their solo mission to the Land of Wolves a couple years back. This  _thing_ was responsible for leaving him head-fucked every time she was around. He was pretty sure it was also responsible for making him argue with her all the time and object loudly and obnoxiously to any male who thought he might situate himself into her life. Sometimes, when he got her so riled up she couldn't speak straight, he wanted to pull her close and tight and just kiss the frustration out of her. He frowned when it dawned on him that he wouldn't be able to do that, ever.

He wasn't the romantic type, and talking about his feelings frankly made him want to stab himself in the fucking eye, but something about Mai made him entirely not himself. He felt like a fucking pansy any time he thought about her, but not thinking about her made his chest ache in funny ways. He exhaled loudly before reaching into his pocket. He patted the picture fondly before cursing under his breath.

This whole marriage decree was fucking with his plans for a lot of reasons. He thought that if he kept hanging around, kept trying, that he might be the kind of man that Mai would  _look_ at. He knew there was someone. Sometimes she'd get this  _look_ in her eyes and her cheeks would turn this pretty shade of pink and he knew, deep down in his chest, that he wanted her to look like that while thinking of him. He had hoped that maybe one day - if he kept beating off the competition - that he might be that guy. But this forced marriage thing. He couldn't ask her to marry him because he couldn't steal her from whoever it was that she already got that  _look_ about. If he'd had more time, then maybe.

"Fuck, this is so confusing." He said it out loud because thinking it didn't feel satisfying enough. He wasn't the only one with that opinion.

\-----

Mai was staring at the picture frame on the table beside her bed. From her spot on the floor in front of the door, she couldn't actually see it, but she knew what was in it like she knew how many freckles were on the back of her left hand - sixteen, to be exact. Temari, clever little kunoichi that she was, had figured out Mai had a thing for her brother at almost the same time that Mai had. She was also, apparently, an expert at taking pictures of people when they were unaware and as such, Mai had been receiving inadvertant paparazzi pictures of Kankuro for nearly ten years.

The picture on her bedside was of the two of them. Kankuro had made some incredibly stupid comment which had lead the two of them to dissolve into laughter. Mai's head was thrown back, a brilliant smile on her face as she laughed. Kankuro was staring at her with a smile on his face, his eyes lit up with amusement and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on out of not wanting to get her hopes up. It was her favorite picture for a lot of reasons.

"Fuck, this is so confusing." Kankuro's voice drifted through the small apartment and she could not agree more with the sentiment. Her head dropped back against the wood of the door and she closed her eyes, trying to sort out her thoughts.

She'd offered herself as a real alternative to marrying some unknown, brainless floozy that was only out for the recognition and money that came with marrying the brother of the Kazekage. She'd been mindful of her feelings, yes, but she'd also done what she had thought he would have done if the situation had been reversed. She had truly not expected him to laugh, and she certainly hadn't expected the rejection to sting as badly as it had. He probably hadn't meant to hurt her - after all, he didn't know how she felt about him - but still. The idea that marrying her was laughable to him was insulting.

She stared at the back of the picture frame for another fifteen minutes before standing up and swallowing her pride. She opened the door to the bedroom slowly and took a deep breath before stepping out. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimness in the room before she spotted him. 

Kankuro was sprawled across her couch in that same boneless way he'd sprawled in the kitchen chair. She made her way toward it slowly, her steps almost silent. She paused beside it for a moment to study him. If he knew she was standing just off the side of the couch - which he almost certainly did - he made no move to acknowledge her. It was easier if she approached him and they both knew it, because storming off and locking herself in a room was something she did more often than she was proud of.

She exhaled on a sigh before crossing the distance between them and pushing his feet off the end of the couch. She curled up in the little space and looked up to meet his eyes. Neither of them said anything for a full five minutes, and she savored the way his breathing was strong and steady in the quiet room.

"I'm sorry." He was the first to break the silence. Mai studied his features carefully. He did indeed look sorry, but there was something else about his expression she couldn't understand. "I shouldn't have laughed at you. There was nothing funny about what you said, and the idea of marrying you isn't laughable." He stretched his arms over his head before crossing them tightly over his chest and sighed heavily. He studied her face for a long moment, and Mai wondered what he was looking for. She felt herself flushing lightly under his scrutiny. "Mai, I can't ask you to do that for me. You're my best friend, and I can't take away your chance at love just because I've been dealt a crappy hand." Kankuro's voice was very solemn, and Mai heard the finality in the words. 

Mai swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded her head jerkily. She kept reminding herself that he didn't know how she felt. That he wasn't trying to stomp on her feelings. That he  _was_ her best friend, and that had to mean something in the end.

"Yeah, I mean, it was . . .," she sighed again, "just forget it." Her smile was a little too bright and forced for his comfort, but he didn't want to start a third argument so soon after ending the second one. He reached up and ruffled her hair fondly. She smiled a real smile despite herself and found herself leaning against his side. "You're sort of a jerk, you know. I see you for the first time in four months and you spring this crap on me." Kankuro snorted once and reached out to wrap an arm around Mai's shoulders before pulling her to his chest and getting comfortable on the couch again.

"Yeah, well, imagine how I felt. I had Sand in many uncomfortable and unmentionable places when I got the news. All I wanted was to deliver my report in a timely manner so I could eat and get a shower, but it seemed that fate, Gaara and the Daimyo had other plans," he shifted subtly, pressing himself further against her, "Did I tell you that Gaara actually laughed when he told me?"

Mai hummed in an agreeable tone and leaned more heavily against Kankuro, a little smile crossing her face. His hand brushed against the bandages wrapping around her shoulder and he frowned.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened, or do I need to go hunt down Kinai-san? I imagine you've made him angry again." His voice was light, but he was only half-joking. The scowl that quickly replaced the smile on Mai's face was reward enough.

"Ugh, that was one time! I mean, yes, he's still upset with me about it, but why does everyone keep bringing that up? First it was Kasumi this morning, and then Lee this afternoon, and now you!" Mai groaned a little, tucking her head into the crook of Kankuro's shoulder. She felt the laugh rumbling through his chest. He sighed contentedly, and Mai closed her eyes and took the moment to copy it into memory forever. For the moment, she was glad that things might be approaching a semblance of normal after all.

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> -Queenie


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mai pouts, Kasumi plots, Kankuro eavesdrops, and Naruto just wants to canoodle with Sasuke.

Mai's eyes opened slowly. She'd been warm and comfortable, and blissfully asleep for the first time in weeks, but  _something_ seemed to be hell-bent on waking her up. The first thing she saw was a chin that was very, very close to her nose - so close that her eyes crossed when she tried to focus on it. She frowned, still somewhat groggy from sleep and the pain medication she'd taken the night before, and let her eyes follow the line of the chin up to the rest of the face. Kankuro's face. In a split second, she was wide awake and hyper aware of where all her body parts were in relation to all of his body parts while trying to figure out just exactly how they'd ended up entwined on her couch in the living room.

Talking. They'd been talking. She'd spilled the beans on her injuries - he had very politely  _not_ laughed at her rookie mistakes, although she did still have a little kernel of worry working on her for Kinai-san when she'd mentioned her medic-enforced 'natural healing' period and seen Kankuro's eyes grow very dark - and then they'd talked late into the night. She didn't even remember falling asleep, but judging from her place in his very warm arms, she had. Kankuro's face was relaxed in sleep and there was a rumbling snore coming from his mouth that started deep in his chest. Her face softened as she watched him for a moment before it became clear that Kankuro was not what had been attempting to wake her up.

Mindful of the snoring man beneath her, Mai sat up slowly and stretched her arms out above her. A familiar chakra brushed up against her consciousness and suddenly she was sprawled on the floor, searching for the person it belonged to. The thump and squeal that resulted when her bottom met the floor caused Kankuro to stir, but thankfully he didn't wake up. Mai didn't think she could have handled him  _and_ her grinning intruder.

Kasumi sat in the chair across the living room, a gigantic smile spread across her face. She held a camera in her hands and appeared to be doing her level best not to laugh. Mai was mortified. Without saying a word, she stood and jerkily motioned for Kasumi to follow her into her bedroom. It looked like this morning was going to be far too long for her liking, even if it had started so promisingly.

\-----

Kasumi felt like the cat that ate the canary, got the cream, and then spent hours basking in the sun afterwards. In short, she was pleased. She'd come over to get Mai when the girl didn't show up for early training - because only Lee trained in the direct Suna sun, something about resisting the forces of nature and pushing his body to its most youthful limits - and she'd found her best friend snuggled up against old Paint Face himself. She was quite certain it was innocent, mostly because she knew just how stubborn Mai was about refusing to admit her own feelings, but it didn't stop the grin spreading across her face. Didn't stop her from taking as many pictures as she could manage before waking the girl, either. Mai would thank her for those later, once she was done being embarrassed.

Watching her fall off the couch in surprise hadn't been bad, either.

Kasumi shut Mai's bedroom door behind her and watched her friend jerkily motion to the bed she had most certainly  _not_ slept in the night before. Kasumi stifled back a laugh and plopped herself on the bed with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Mai remained standing at the end of the bed, highly tense. Kasumi snorted.

"Mai, you can relax. I know you well enough to know that whatever happened with Paint Face last night was innocent in nature, and you know me well enough to know that I'm not starting any rumors." Mai visibly relaxed, but she still didn't say anything. Kasumi waved the camera at her friend. "Actually, before you woke up and threw yourself to the floor, I managed to get some cutesy pictures of the two of you all snuggled up and drooling." Mai reached for the camera and Kasumi let her take it mostly because she wasn't actually looking for a fight with Mai just yet.

"What are you doing here?" Mai didn't sound angry, but there was something off about the tone of her voice. Kasumi frowned just the smallest bit.

"We are training today. Or we were supposed to, at least. I suppose you forgot?" Mai brought a hand up to her face, resting it on her forehead as she sighed. She took a seat on the bed next to Kasumi, leaning in to rest her head on Kasumi's shoulder.

"Yeah. I guess I did." Kasumi thought Mai sounded jaded. Or disappointed. Or one of those other complicated emotions that Kasumi tried to avoid.

"What's wrong Mai? You sound weird." Kasumi's concern grew when she noticed that Mai seemed to be struggling with holding tears back. "Mai?! What happened?" Kasumi wrapped an arm around Mai and hugged her close. Mai cleared her throat and did her best to avoid crying.

"Oh Kas. Kankuro's getting married, Kas. He's getting married and I will never be able to tell him how I feel." Mai fervently hoped that Kankuro was still asleep, because if he was awake, then he would be able to hear the two of them talking in her bedroom. Of all the ways she didn't want him to learn about her feelings, this was probably the top of her list. "When he came over last night he told me that the Daimyo had issued some kind of decree forcing him to choose a wife and Gaara agreed to it." She'd managed to keep a good handle on her emotions the night before, but her control was starting to break now that she was with Kasumi. Kasumi had always been her safe place, and Kasumi would never think less of her for letting her emotions loose. Kasumi frowned thoughtfully.

"I see. So  _that's_ what the decree was." Kasumi spoke slowly as she thought. Mai looked up and met Kasumi's eyes. 

"What?" Mai asked, her voice wavering. Kasumi sighed heavily.

"You know how I've been working with Baki lately? We've been sending out a lot of encrypted invitations for some kind of a gathering, but I didn't know any of the details. All I knew was that the Daimyo had issued a decree and that there was to be some kind of big shot wedding held here in Suna. Some of the mail clerks were gossiping about it being Kankuro though." Kasumi was studying the wall, so she missed the hardening of Mai's features. The look Mai was shooting her would have sent a lesser person running from the room.

"You knew? You knew about this, and you didn't say anything to me?" Kasumi noted offhandedly, as Mai half-whispered the accusation, that Mai never had been a screamer. She didn't yell when she was upset, or hurt. She did this sort of creepy half-whisper thing that always made Kasumi mildly uncomfortable and feel like she was guilty of more than she'd actually done. She'd never had a defense for that.

"No, Mai, I didn't  _know_ anything. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone who didn't already know about it. And I didn't think it was important, honestly." Kasumi noted, once more offhandedly, that that was the entirely wrong thing to say. Mai's face drained of all color. She looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. In retrospect, Kasumi couldn't believe it either. She hadn't told Mai about the rumors she'd heard because she'd thought it was just that - a rumor. Or, at the very least, that it was something Kankuro would have been able to weasel his way out of. She hadn't wanted to worry the girl unnecessarily.

"How could it  _not_ be important?" Mai looked very much like she might be sick. Kasumi eyed the room surreptitiously for a trash bin - one that could not be found, after inspection.

"I just thought it was a rumor, honestly." Kasumi paused, looking Mai straight in the eyes. "Mai, you have to believe me that if I'd thought it was serious or that the decree was genuinely about him, I would have told you about it." Mai still looked sick, but much less like she was ready to disown Kasumi. Mai swallowed thickly and wiped the stray tears off her face.

"What am I supposed to do about this Kas?" Kasumi noted, for a third offhanded time, that she absolutely hated how hopeless Mai sounded. Kasumi sighed and hugged Mai tighter to her side.

"Well, all eligible women are allowed to come. Maybe we find you some dancing shoes and you sweep the handsome puppet master off his feet. Simple." Kasumi's bright tone was infectious and despite herself, Mai smiled.

"Simple." Mai shook her head and sighed. She wondered if anything in her life would  _ever_ be simple.

\-----

Kankuro swallowed thickly and stared at the door in front of him. He'd woken some time before Kasumi had slipped - rather noisily for such an accomplished kunoichi, he might add - into the apartment. He'd been contentedly laying there, enjoying the soft snuffling sighs coming from the woman draped across his chest, when he'd heard her clamber in through the far window. Kankuro had met her eyes with a severely pointed look on his face, warning her not to wake Mai.

After their blow-out in the kitchen and subsequent make-up on the couch, they'd talked into the early morning. Mai had grown drowsy and snuggled into him, and he couldn't resist cuddling against her on the couch for the evening. He'd slept for an hour or so, despite his own exhaustion, and spent the rest of the night wondering how he was supposed to get through the rest of his life without the woman he was holding.

Kasumi stopped just inside the window, studying the pair on the couch with a wide grin. Kankuro made a swift motion to tell her to sit down and be quiet about it. She sauntered across the living room and flopped into the chair across from the couch. She crossed her right leg over her left knee and pinned Kankuro with a look that clearly stated he needed to explain. 

"Can you promise not to tell her I was awake when you came in?" Kankuro's voice was a low whisper in the morning light. Kasumi nodded her head slightly, a grin still on her face. Around the time Kankuro had become aware of his feelings for Mai, Kasumi had noticed as well. The three of them had been on a friendly mission to Konoha to take some letters from Gaara and pick up some supplies for the hospital. Mai had just returned from the bath house, freshly washed and smelling like some kind of sweet soap. Kasumi had noted the way his eyes had lingered just a little too long to be proper and had immediately dragged him off to grill him about his intentions toward her best friend.

"If you'd care to explain, sure, she'll never know." Kasumi promised, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes traveled fondly over the form of her sleeping friend. Mai had always been more like a sister to her ever since they'd met in the orphanage, and she wanted nothing but happiness for her. If Paint Face was what made her best friend happy, she wasn't about to stand in the way. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't gather evidence for future blackmail.

"We were up late talking, that's all. She was drowsy because of the pain medication she took and we ended up like this. I didn't want to move her." Kankuro flushed lightly, turning his gaze back to the top of Mai's head. He heard Kasumi sigh in the chair across the room.

"Of course you didn't. It's not often you get a chance to snuggle with her, is it?" There was only a slight tease in the kunoichi's voice, but Kankuro ignored it.

"What are you doing here this early anyway?" Kankuro asked, shifting slightly to get a better grip on Mai. She sighed contentedly, her breath tickling against the exposed skin of Kankuro's throat. He felt a warmth spreading through him and did his best to school his expression. Kasumi sighed in such a way that reminded him of that lazy jounin his sister was seeing.

"She was  _supposed_ to meet me at the training grounds half an hour ago. I thought maybe she'd overslept or gotten distracted. Seems it was a little bit of both." Kasumi's grin was large and friendly, but there was still something dangerous about it, like if she'd come in and found Kankuro's hands in anywhere but neutral territory he might be missing them by now. Kankuro flushed lightly before thinking through her words.

"What? You were going to train with her, are you nuts? She's still beat up from her last mission." Kankuro was doing his very best not to shout at the woman across the room. Kasumi merely shrugged.

"She's not spun glass, or so she keeps telling me. Believe me, I'm not a big fan of her apparent inability to take care of herself either," Kasumi sighed again, somewhat fondly, before turning her eyes back to Kankuro's, "so you'll have to take care of her for me, okay?" The smile Kasumi gave him was wide-open and friendly. He swallowed thickly and turned his face away from her, ignoring the way his cheeks were heating up in a blush.

"Yeah. Okay." His voice was thick with emotion. He didn't know what Kasumi would do when she found out about the decree. The thought of hurting Mai even more than he already had was making his stomach churn. Kasumi cleared her throat.

"How good are your acting skills?" She asked, somewhat vaguely. Kankuro turned back to her, confusion on his face. "I want to wake her to talk to her - also to give her a little bit of teasing, because I just can't pass this up. So you should pretend to be sleeping. Also, do you mind if I take some pictures of you guys? You know, for blackmail purposes?" Kasumi's grin was growing wider - if that was possible - and she was already up and out of the chair searching for Mai's camera. She returned moments later, a smirk spread across her face. Kankuro sighed in resignation.

"Well, I guess. If you promise to give me copies." He watched her long enough to see her nod enthusiastically before getting his best fake-sleep on. It was ten short minutes later that Kasumi successfully woke Mai with little confrontation. He struggled not to laugh when she threw herself to the floor upon noticing Kasumi's presence, and tried not to miss the warmth of her body against his when they disappeared into Mai's room.

He was just settling in to nap while the women discussed whatever it was women discussed out of the presence of men - and from his own experience that could be anything as simple as cooking recipes to complex assassination plans - when he heard his name. Mai's voice sounded thick with tears she was trying desperately not to shed, and he was instantly on his feet. With quick, quiet steps he made his way to the door that separated the two of them from him. He listened, his breath held tightly in his throat, as Mai explained the situation to Kasumi. When he heard Mai mention her feelings toward him he grew dizzy. He let out a slow breath, steadying himself against the wall.

 _She cares about me?_ His heart was leaping up in his throat.  _Then, last night, when she offered . . ._ His thoughts trailed off and he listened intently to the end of their conversation.

 **"What am I supposed to do, Kas?"** Mai's voice sounded completely hopeless. Kankuro, on the other hand, was seeing his situation in an entirely new light. If Mai returned his feelings, even the slightest amount, he'd spend the next two weeks doing absolutely everything in his power to make sure she was the one he picked. kasumi's voice was sure as she answered her friend.

 **"Well, all eligible women are allowed to come. Maybe we find you some dancing shoes and you sweep the handsome puppet master off his feet. Simple."** The brightness of Kasumi's tone made Kankuro smile. Yes, it would be that simple. He didn't wait to hear Mai's answer, instead returning swiftly and quietly to the couch. He sprawled back on the cushions, his mind racing.

If Mai genuinely had feelings for him, if she had offered to marry him out of friendship and genuine attraction for him, then he could do this. He would go through all the motions like a good boy would, and at the end of it all he would choose her. He smiled in a rather self-satisfied way, shifting back into the cushions to regain the comfortable spot he'd been sprawled in before Kasumi had come in.

It was roughly half an hour of more scattered tears, curses, and laughter before he heard movement in the bedroom toward the door. Remembering Kasumi's warnings about pretending, he closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing. Mai pushed Kasumi out the door, promising her she would train with her the next day if she would just  _leave_ already. Kasumi managed to make it out of the apartment without being damaged by the already emotional woman and Mai heaved a great sigh of relief as she closed the front door.

 _I'm glad he slept through that,_ she thought, casting a glance over her shoulder toward the man sprawled on her couch. She wandered quietly over to stand beside it, studying him fondly. One arm was stretched up over his head, resting on the arm of the couch. The other was curled against his chest, fingers stretched out across his pectorals. The shirt he'd been wearing was rucked up in sleep, allowing her a tantalizing glimpse of sun-tanned waistline and a strip of dark hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants. Those had also moved in sleep, slipping down to expose the V of his hipbones. Mai felt her mouth grow very dry as she watched his chest moving in sleep. Kankuro made a noise then in the back of his throat, some kind of sleeping moan, and arched very gently as he moved into another comfortable position. Mai's face grew very red and she suddenly realized what she was doing.

It wouldn't do for Kankuro to wake and find her standing over him staring dreamily. She patted her cheeks a few times, coming back to herself, and decided she was probably calm enough to cook something for breakfast. After rummaging through her cupboards and fridge - and thanking the powers that were that she'd remembered to grocery shop two days beforehand, cooking for the orphanage was looking to work in her favor - she set about cooking breakfast.

Kankuro opened his eyes just the tiniest amount, glancing toward the kitchen and finding Mai completely occupied with the task of preparing food. He turned his gaze to the ceiling, smirking a little at the way she'd been blushing as she stared down at him. His smirk softened into a thoughtful smile as he lay there and pondered the ceiling. Soon the smells of cooking food filled the small apartment, and Mai's voice began to drift through from the kitchen. She was singing a soft song he didn't recognize as she cooked, and the sound lulled him into a peaceful state.

Kankuro always missed Mai's cooking when he was out on a mission, and waking up to it was something he would never tire of. He thought about what he could do in the next two weeks to ensure that he'd wake up to it for the rest of his life, and realized that two weeks was a very short time to plan a romance. He frowned fiercely for a moment before getting caught off guard by the first yawn of the morning. He gave in and yawned loudly, stretching his limbs with an elongated sigh. He heard Mai snort from the kitchen accompanied by the gentle scrape of a metal cooking utensil against the bottom of a pan. He briefly considered the merit of hiding out in Mai's small apartment until the night he would choose her as his bride, and was nearly through a half-assed plan when Mai's voice broke his thoughts.

"I know you're awake, and I'm sure you're planning something nonsensical. You should consider the merit of getting up and eating this food I've gone to the trouble of making for you before you attempt any such great feats." There was a mild humor in her voice, and he hoped that meant that things between the two of them had settled back to normal. It would make things much easier for him if she was happy with him. He opened his eyes again and sat up, stretching again with a groan and a barely-smothered yawn. He sat on the couch and stared at the wall for a total of three seconds before standing up and making his way into the kitchen, the fierce frown on his face mostly for show. It was imperative that she didn't find out his plans before he even had any. Mai was leaning against the counter with a steaming cup of tea in her hands. Kankuro slid into one of the chairs at the table and stared at the food on his plate for a long moment before turning his gaze back to Mai.

"This is pretty shitty, right?" Mai arched a delicate eyebrow before smirking. She made her way to the table - tea in one hand and a plate of buttered toast in the other - and sat down in the seat across from him.

"I know you're not talking about my cooking." She gave a pointed look at the plate in front of Kankuro. He opened his mouth to comment again - presumably to correct her - and she shook her head firmly. "And we're not going to discuss that this morning. Possibly not at all today. So you might as well eat." She kept giving him that pointed look until he relented and began eating. It was only then that she relaxed back into her seat and took a sip from her tea.

They didn't speak for long minutes - during which Kankuro scarfed down most of his breakfast and Mai nibbled on a piece of toast while finishing her first cup of tea. Kankuro broke the silence then that, while not  _uncomfortable_ , was less comfortable than he'd have liked. He had to remind himself that she didn't share the same assurance that he returned her feelings.

"So, did you have plans today with Kasumi? I thought I heard her voice earlier." Mai stiffened very briefly while reaching for the teapot, but relaxed and poured herself a second cup before answering.

"We had intended to train today. I overslept and Kas was checking to make sure I hadn't expired overnight or anything of the sort." Mai replied, dry humor in her voice. Kankuro laughed loudly and Mai took another sip of her tea while watching him fondly.

"Sheesh, that Kasumi. She's more protective of you than I am." Kankuro dug back into his breakfast, but not so deeply that he missed the almost wistful look Mai gave him over the lip of her cup. He ignored it to avoid suspicion but he did look up when he heard the small noise she made in the back of her throat.

"Mm. Well. Neither of you need to be. I can take care of myself, even if I do tend toward the dramatic sometimes." She replied before taking another sip of tea. Kankuro glanced up from his plate and gave her the best grin he could with a mouth full of food. He chewed quickly and swallowed before shaking his head.

"Yeah, yeah, you're not made of glass, I get it. Doesn't mean I don't want to take care of you." He said fondly, giving Mai a crooked grin that sent her heart to doing funky acrobatics in her chest cavity. She flushed slightly and turned away, and was saved from any potentially embarrassing questions when Kankuro noticed the lack of food in front of her. He pointed to the half-nibbled piece of toast in front of her. "Aren't you eating?" Mai shrugged her shoulders and sipped at her tea again.

"I'm not particularly hungry this morning, but I knew you would be." She replied airily, setting her cup down on the table. "Besides, it's been a while since I cooked for you. I thought it might be nice. Consider this my formal apology for freaking out on you last night." Mai gave him her best approximation of a crooked grin, tilting her head to the side to give it more affect, and propped her elbows up on the table.

Kankuro felt his heart trip up in his chest a little as he watched Mai smiling at him like she was, and decided it was in his best interest to stuff his face before he made some sort of errant confession and ruined his half-baked plans. He needed to speak with Temari or Kasumi soon and develop a working plan before he ruined the surprise. He had never been very good with keeping personal feelings and opinions to himself, despite his tendency to avoid them like the plague. Diplomatic secrets, assassination plans, and even the amount of times his sister had been to see that lazy genius jounin from Konoha - all those things were locked away inside of his brain, although the latter was more for blackmail material and his own personal well-being than anything else. But personal opinions, feelings and the like, those just slipped out of his mouth before he had the chance to think too hard about it. It was a miracle Temari hadn't killed him yet, to be honest. Or Gaara, for that matter.

Kankuro finished his breakfast quickly and accepted the cup of tea Mai offered him with thanks. He watched her as he sipped his tea and decided that she looked like she was gearing up to something. Just as he was about to ask her what she was thinking, she opened her mouth to speak.

"So, were you serious about needing dance lessons?" Mai's voice was carefully guarded, and she was looking in his direction, but not exactly looking at him. Kankuro nodded and gave his soon-to-be-bride - even if she didn't know about it - a bright grin.

"Yeah, about that," he looked sheepish despite the broad grin growing on his face, "I'm afraid I'm shit hopeless at dancing. You can try, but you might honestly end up worse for the wear after." Dance lessons would be a valid excuse to stay close to Mai without arousing too much suspicion. He'd figure out the rest of the reasons later; all he needed was a foot in the door.

\-----

Recently appointed Rokudaime Hokage Uzumaki Naruto was dealing with what looked to be the beginning of a very long day. Sasuke had kicked him out of bed just after sunrise, and looked pleased to do it. The dark-haired young man had just returned from a week-long scouting mission and had been anxious for a shower and a nap. He'd silently handed over his mission report - and been completely unmoved by each of Naruto's attempts to lure him back to bed for sexy times - and then booted the blond out of the bedroom without ceremony. Naruto had sighed, but capitulated with grace, knowing Sasuke well enough to know that the young man would apologize later in a way that started with a spar - read as; excuse to kick the shit out of each other - and ended with an entirely different kind of fight for dominance.

He'd made his way to his office in relatively good spirits, despite being booted from bed, greeting the people he passed with a friendly smile and wave. The rebuilding that had begun after Pein had attacked so many years ago was entirely finished, paused only by the Fourth Great Ninja War, and Konoha was better than it had ever been. There had been a period of unease after the war ended; the newly formed alliance between each of the Hidden Villages had been battle-forged and proven strong, but the fate of the world had still hung in the balance. Madara had been defeated - and many, many lives were lost by all of the lands - but there was still the issue of picking life back up and continuing on.

His friendship with Gaara had helped ease their own transition. The young Kazekage had been eager to rebuild his village, and after leading the Shinobi army to victory, the other villages had happily followed his lead. Missions were requested and assigned, villages traded and bartered supplies and goods, and slowly, life returned to normal. It had been odd at first, not fighting for their lives in what was literally the potential end of the world. But there was Sasuke, and Sakura and his other friends, and Naruto knew that despite everything they'd lost, they'd still managed to come out on top.

It was when he entered his office that he felt the beginnings of a headache taking root at the base of his neck. He'd slid his office door open to find Izumo and Kotetsu pressed up against the wall just inside the door doing their very best to taste the back of each other's throats. The pair didn't notice when he'd slid the door open, but they certainly noticed the lazily-thrown kunai he tossed as he walked past them to his desk. They broke apart with an uncomfortable squelching sound that only reminded Naruto of the fact that Sasuke was at home and had staunchly been uninterested in physical activities. He flopped wearily into his chair and pinned the two with a look of affectionate teasing, even as he sighed heavily.

"Keep it at home, guys, yeah?" The two murmured apologies, all pink-faced and flustered, before slipping out of his office - presumably to continue their activities in what Naruto hoped was a far more private venue. Naruto took a brief moment to survey the space around him. He'd been Hokage for nearly two years, and had been elected with unanimous support from the village, but sometimes the job still felt very new to him. He wondered sometimes if this is what his father had felt like during his appointment; very young, and very much out of his depth. It helped that he had a team of good advisers, and strong alliances with each of the Hidden Villages. 

Just as he thought that, the door slid open again. He paused in reaching for a stack of papers in front of him when Sakura strode in purposefully, her face set in a deceptively sweet expression. Naruto narrowed his eyes in caution.

"Hokage-sama," Sakura began, her voice deceptively polite, and that was enough to tell Naruto he was in trouble for something, "would you care to explain to me why the Kazekage is cordially inviting me, personally, as an eligible candidate to marry his brother?" Sakura's voice was dangerously sweet, and Naruto knew from experience that that tone usually preceded him in pain. He took the scroll she had thrust into his face and began to read carefully just as a messenger hawk bearing the seal of the Kazekage of Suna flew into the open window. Naruto heaved out another heavy sigh and wondered idly if it was too late to go back home and join Sasuke in bed. As he glanced over the scroll at Sakura's purposefully blank expression, he didn't imagine he'd be leaving his office any time soon.

 _Oh man, I thought we killed all the bad guys years ago,_ he thought, eyebrows pulling tight together in the beginnings of a frown,  _what's Gaara up to now?_

He couldn't have been less prepared for the answer.

\-----

**Author's Note:**

> So, it's not my first fanfiction I've written, but it's the first one I've been so invested in! And I never think that Kankuro gets enough love, so I really wanted to write something for him. So drop me a line, let me know what you think!
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> -Queenie


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